Loss and Blame
by Estrelle Buscador
Summary: The loss of Yugi to the Orichalcos has left all of his friends in shock. How will they deal with the loss, and who will they choose to blame? Series of character perspective one-shots.
1. Problem

Greetings Readers! Here is the beginning of my new series of character one-shots. These are centered around the aftermath of the Oreikalkos duel that took away Yugi's soul.

This chapter is more of a set-up than anything else, the next chapter will start with the actual character perspectives. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of its characters. Unfortunately.

* * *

Yugi lost.

The two words, although deceptively short, packed more pain and confusion than any of the friends could have possibly imagined. They played over and over in the heads of the three boys in the car and the boy on the horse like some broken record as they returned from the site of the duel to where the others were waiting at the mobile home. None of them spoke, completely absorbed in those two words that resounded within their minds, quiet but able to drown out every other thought.

Yugi lost.

That concept made the entire situation that much more surreal – Yugi never lost. He had lost the duel with Pegasus which had led to his grandfather's soul being captured, but Pegasus had used an underhanded trick to grab the victory that would have been Yugi's. He had lost the duel with Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, but only when he refused to attack when doing so could have killed Kaiba. He had lost the duel when he'd dueled Joey when he'd been mind-controlled by Marik, but he had done so to save Joey's life. There had always been some unfair advantage that had tipped the scales in his opponent's favor. But not this time. This time there was no other person to blame, and it was by his own mistakes that he'd lost.

Yugi lost.

None of the boys bothered to push the thoughts away, since they poisoned all other possible thoughts. Or maybe the thought was allowed to overwhelm the boys because it delayed the realization of what had really happened.

They had lost Yugi.

Minds that had been able to embrace the concepts of mind control, magical items, and the manifestation of the spirits of ancient Egyptians were unable to fathom that Yugi was gone. It was beyond comprehension and it left them all numb.

Yugi was gone.

The absence of the quiet, friendly, forgiving young man they all knew and valued as a friend was foreign to them and felt as though the beating heart of their group had been ripped out of its chest. They had forever valued his presence, but it wasn't until he was gone that they realized his importance to the group. His optimism, his cleverness, his unassuming leadership skills, his instinct that had proved unerringly right time and time again – they couldn't imagine going on without Yugi. His loss made their job a lot harder than it had been before.

The boys in the car focused on the pain of the separation and the anger at the people who had taken Yugi away, feeling the absence of the heart like it was still torn away – the pain pounding in a feeble attempt to mimic the restorative beating of the heart. But the boy on the horse looked completely empty; where the others felt the pain when the heart was ripped away, he seemed to be enduring what was present when the heart was absent – nothing. He looked hollow, his normally proud eyes dull, his face looking drawn and worn – the normal stridency and firmness of his countenance completely washed away in the numbness.

They were so wrapped up in their own shock that they forgot about breaking the news to the others until the mobile home was in sight; and then their hearts sank as the two girls rose up with joy in their faces, knowing the joy would be fleeting.

It was too hard to break that joy with the truth, but it had to be done. Looking around at the shaded face of the Pharaoh and the hidden faces of Tristan and Duke, Joey took a deep breath before taking the job into his own hands.

"We got a problem, guys."

* * *

A/N: And that's the beginning. Starting next chapter, I begin with the character perspectives. I hope you enjoyed the beginning.

Thanks for reading and please review! You can also vote for which perspective you'd care to see first, if you like.

Thanks again!


	2. Keep Faith

Greetings Readers! Thanks for reading! Here is the first character perspective - it's Professor Hawkins.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of its characters. I am just a fan.

* * *

_Something is wrong._

My mind jolted with surprise at my own thought and I chuckled humorlessly as I turned back to the ancient texts I was studying. I massaged the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache building behind my eyes, and looked outside the window at the table where Tea and my granddaughter were sitting. Watching them bask in the mid-morning California sun made me smile but my sense of foreboding remained. I sighed. _Something __is__ wrong._

I did not know where the thought came from – it was too dark a thought to be thought on such a beautiful day – but I knew it to be truth. It was instinct more than fact, but I trusted my instincts with my life. And often it had come down to that; book learning meant very little when you were trapped in dark tombs and had no way of getting out but by your own brains and often dumb luck. It surprised me that so few of my fellow archaeologists relied on that instinct, instead putting all their faith in old books entrenched in dust, delving into despair when they arrived at an unforeseen turn that had not appeared in a book. But then, I'm sure I surprised them as well…except perhaps for Solomon…

A slight squeal of brakes could be heard outside, followed by a clopping of hooves and a slight neigh. I stood up and pushed my back, stretching my neck as I watched the two girls jump up at the arrival of the boys. I mentally counted the heads – yes, all four of them had returned. _Absolutely nothing to worry about,_ I attempted to convince myself, but felt my eyes swinging towards Yugi…and felt my heart stop.

It wasn't Yugi, it was the Nameless Pharaoh. That in itself wasn't a surprise, since I knew that Yugi would allow him more and more time in their body. No, what was wrong was the look on the Pharaoh's face – he was completely broken. That was strange; the Pharaoh I'd studied and researched and met had never looked broken in any account of him – even in the face of his own impending death, he'd reportedly stood proud and unafraid. But now, he looked neither proud nor unafraid – in fact, he seemed to be hiding his eyes from the others, his bangs casting shadow across his eyes as he stood apart in the burning path of the sun.

I watched my granddaughter run over to the Pharaoh and embrace him, only to draw back in surprise when he didn't hug her back. I shook my head in an amused but concerned way, _my intelligent girl can be so oblivious._ She didn't even seem to sense the sadness radiating off of him so thickly it was palpable even through my window. My eyes skimmed over the other teens – the boys seemed stiff and drawn, unable to look Tea in the eye as she worriedly asked them something. I couldn't hear their words, but the horror in Tea's eyes as she turned to face Rebecca and the Pharaoh confirmed my fears: my instincts had been correct. Something was wrong.

"Rebecca. They got him."

"Got who?" Rebecca sounded so very young and confused which made my heart clench, but my heart fell even more as the only possible meaning of his words became clear. There was only one person whose capture would cause so severe a reaction in the regal Pharaoh…

"Yugi."

A sharp pang jolted through my heart, and I gripped my cane for support as I leaned against the window. _No, not Yugi._ Although I hadn't known the young man personally for very long, I could remember how proud Solomon had been when he was born, all the pictures he'd shown me of the little boy growing up. And I hadn't had to know him for long to pick up what a remarkable person he was; clever, a good strategist, and an even more steadfast friend. He was able to take in all the information I'd dug up about the spirit of the Pharaoh and the ancient shadow games without a second thought – information that had regularly blown my mind away in my research – and took on the responsibility to solve the problems that Dartz had caused. Anyone could see how his friends rallied around him for support – no wonder they all looked so devastated. Like Rebecca was beginning to show as the truth set in…

Rebecca began weakly pounding on his chest with her fists in her frustration, but he was so deep in his own grief that he didn't even seem to notice the blows. I wanted to run out to pull her back, but she crashed into Tea and started crying. Then I held back. They'd already had to explain what had happened once – and the pain was tremendous without them having to repeat it once again. I would leave them to their frustration for the moment; I would do better to start developing a plan to get Yugi back.

But there was something else I had to do first.

**···**

I sat and stared at the phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen. My hand reached out to grab it, but my fingers only managed to graze the receiver before I pulled it back as though it had been burned. I cursed myself for not being stronger about this – but how was I about to tell my closest friend that his grandson had disappeared?

_Not to mention, it's my fault he was out here in the first place._ I grimaced at the potential conversation. "Hello, Solomon. How are you, my friend? Why am I calling? Well, you remember how Yugi and his friends were coming out to look at the research I'm conducting on ancient Atlantis? I was captured by Dartz and his henchmen, and Yugi was riding out to get me. But then when he found I was all right he went on to battle one of his henchman…and he lost. His soul is gone, and I'm not sure how to get it back."

That would go over well. I looked out the window at where Rebecca was typing furiously at her computer to finalize the group's travel plans and sighed. I loved that girl so much, and the thought of losing her was unbearable – how could I tell my friend that his equally loved grandson was gone? _If only I hadn't got captured…if only I hadn't encouraged them out here…_

Maybe I could put off telling him until he called me. Then I would let him know.

I groaned at my own cowardice and picked up the phone. I would tell Solomon. He deserved to know the truth – and if he got angry at me, so be it.

The tinny voice of the phone operator chirped that I would be connected to Japan in a few moment's time, and I drummed my fingers on the windowsill as I waited. I watched the young ones as they hastily packed together some things and slung them into Duke's car. After a phone conversation with Kaiba that left Joey steaming and the Pharaoh even more withdrawn, they had decided to go after Dartz and his men to get Yugi back. I had been able, by some miracle, to remain calm and hopefully helpful to an extent as they began to formulate their plan.

The boys were talking among themselves in an eager for action sort of way, Rebecca was typing and determinedly not looking at the Pharaoh, and Tea was walking back after attempting to break the Pharaoh out of his stupor. Given her concerned face, the attempt had not been successful…

"This is Solomon Mutou?"

I gripped the receiver tightly. "Solomon, this is Arthur."

"Arthur!" My old friend's voice warmed considerably, "How are you doing? How is my boy doing? Not gotten into any trouble, I hope!"

My fist clenched even tighter and I shut my eyes, bracing myself. "Actually, Solomon, that's why I'm calling."

"Oh," Solomon was silent for a moment, and then his cheerfulness changed into concern as he rushed out, "What happened?"

I told him what I could, holding back nothing, and waited for his response. For a long time, there was nothing but silence on his end and I began to worry that he had collapsed from the shock. "Solomon?"

"Yes." His voice sounded weary but composed.

"I am so sorry, my friend." I ventured, "I never should have asked him to-"

"Arthur." He interrupted me, his voice stronger and quite a bit warmer. "Don't spend any more time on this out of the country call – which I sincerely hope you are paying for – trying to apologize. It isn't your fault. If I know my boy," his voice quavered slightly, "then he would have found another way to get there."

"But, he's gone."

"Oh, he'll be back." I could feel his grin through the receiver. "I'm sure of it – they've been in difficult spots like this before. But how are the others taking it?"

"About as well as you can expect – they're devastated. And the Nameless Pharaoh looks terrible."

Terrible didn't seem like an adequate word. The Pharaoh seemed lost, wandering about alone in an almost clumsy manner – it oddly reminded me of when Rebecca was young and tried to wear my shoes in an effort to prove that she was grown up. She clopped about in that awkward way, the shoes almost flopping off with every step. In comparison, the Pharaoh looked as though he were in a skin several sizes too big – every movement awkward, deliberate, and numbed with guilt. It was almost like we'd lost him along with Yugi.

"Well, that doesn't surprise me. In Duelist Kingdom…but that's a story for another time." Solomon said, "Do they have a plan?"

"Yes." I paused and then continued, "So when should I expect to pick you up from the airport?"

"The airport?" He sounded genuinely puzzled.

"Aren't you coming here? To look for Yugi?" I would have thought he'd be over in a heartbeat to seek out his grandson.

"Not now." He continued in an amused tone, "It wouldn't do any good – by the time I'd get there, they'd all be off already and it would take an eternity to catch up." He must have sensed my confusion because he laughed reassuringly, "It's strange not to be in the thick of things, isn't it Arthur? To be on the sidelines? But with this bunch, you soon get used to it."

I grinned. "You make us sound like old fogeys!"

He put on an offended tone, "Perish the thought! I could still duel those kids into the dirt – and you, too."

"So you say," I smirked, but then returned to the matter at hand, "So you aren't coming over?"

"No," his voice wavered, "perhaps when they come back. But…you will call, won't you?" His worry broke through his voice. "You will let me know when they get my boy back?"

"Of course."

We continued on for a few more minutes and then hung up. Turning back to the window, I wiped a few tears from my eyes and steadied myself. This was not a time to be selfish – I had to be strong for the kids, and especially Rebecca – and I had to have faith that they would pull through.

We had lost Yugi, but we could not lose faith.

For his sake, we could not lose hope.

* * *

A/N: I hope that was okay, I've never written Professor Hawkins before. I just liked to take the opportunity to actually let Yugi's grandpa know what was actually going on! I don't think they did that in the anime...and I couldn't see him keeping that kind of a secret from his old friend.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! I have an order - thanks to **PurpleWildcat2010 **- of the perspectives, but I will also take into account what people would like to read next. So please vote if you wish!

R&R


	3. Not Fair

Greetings Readers! Thanks to all those who have favorited and reviewed this story, I appreciate it! Here's the next perspective, and it's **Rebecca's** turn!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of its characters. Rats.

* * *

Tears of anger and fear pooled in my eyes as I ran into the motor home and slammed the doors behind me. I walked over to my bedroom window and climbed up to kneel on my desk to look outside. My hands braced against the window as I saw the car pull away towards the train station, barely viewable through the streams of tears I could no longer keep back. It just wasn't fair – I should have been able to go save Yugi, too.

I would have been a much better choice to go on the trip than the _Pharaoh_, anyway. If he was able to go, so should I. I didn't notice my hands clenching in frustration until I felt my nails piercing the skin of my palm. I rubbed the crescent marks in the skin ruefully as I grumbled mentally. _It's the Pharaoh's fault that my darling is gone anyway. Even if the others act like it isn't – I can't forget or forgive him for that._

I may be a college student, and a genius, but it didn't take a genius to know that playing that card – the card which was making all that other bad stuff happen – was a really stupid idea. And the Pharaoh's apology that he just 'lost control' would have been a lot more palatable if his losing control hadn't meant also losing Yugi. And, of course Yugi would push someone out of harm's way – but why didn't the Pharaoh save him from the same fate? And that was the guy who they'd rather have save Yugi than me. They were all treating me like a little kid again.

I got down from the desk and walked over to my bed, curling myself into a ball against the headboard. Looking quickly around, I dug my hand underneath my pillow and pulled out my teddy bear. I clutched it tightly to my chest and let my tears soak the fur on the top of its head as I remembered the last day I carried it in public – the day I first met Yugi. _He__ didn't treat me like a little kid – even when I was acting like one._ Yugi was the only one who ever treated me like someone who was much more capable than my years made me appear. Even my grandfather, as much as he supported and loved me, treated me like a kid a lot of the time. But not Yugi; he didn't treat me like some kid he had to humor, but like a capable opponent – and a friend. I pulled open the drawer of my bedside table and grabbed the Wings of Friendship card he'd given me. Usually, I treated it like it was made of glass, but now I gripped it tightly, trying to feel the warmth of his hand I remembered from when he handed the card to me and our fingers brushed.

Maybe that was when my crush on him started – he was my perfect darling. Friendly, clever, compassionate, self-sacrificing, he was absolutely perfect. And all that goodness was lost when the spirit hijacking his body gave into his anger, and my beloved paid the price. Maybe we'd never see him again.

My eyes squeezed shut and I held Teddy closer. I could never forgive the Pharaoh for that.

I heard knocking at the door, first a quiet tapping and then a more robust thudding. I lifted up the covers and buried myself underneath them, pulling the comforter over my head. Maybe if I just ignored the knocking, he'd go away.

"Rebecca?" At Grandpa's voice, I tried even harder to be silent. "Rebecca, I know you're awake. Please let me in." I made no effort to get up and heard him sigh. "Fine, I'll just come in."

The door squeaked as it swung open, and I threw back the covers and glared at him indignantly. "Grandpa!" I forked my hands on my hips as I sat up, not bothering to wipe the tear tracks from my face. "What are you doing here?"

He sat down besides me, and picked up the teddy bear sitting on top of my covers. He smiled as he ruffled the bear's fur. "I thought you told the others you got rid of Teddy."

I rolled my eyes. "Grandpa, I told them that I traded him in for my glasses." I shook my head. "I can't believe they believed that – what kind of place would make that kind of trade? But you're avoiding the question. Why are you here?"

"To talk to you. To try and make you feel better."

"What would make me feel better, Grandpa," I scowled, " would be to let me go and help rescue Yugi instead of making me wait behind like a little kid."

Grandpa sighed, "Rebecca, please, we've discussed this. The Nameless Pharaoh will be too busy to watch over you and make sure you're safe."

"Yeah, like he did with Yugi?" I glared, "He sure did a good job of protecting him." I didn't usually talk to my grandpa like this, but I was too upset to care.

I felt him pull me into a hug, and I didn't fight him. He rested his chin on the top of my head. "Aren't you being a little childish?"

_Childish._ The abhorred word made the blood boil indignantly in my veins and I pulled away from him. "Childish? I'm not the one who's being childish, Grandfather. The Nameless Pharaoh is the one who's childish – letting his anger take control and not listening to reason!"

"Much as you are right now, my dear?"

His voice was gentle and non-accusatory, but the question took me aback. I stared at him in disbelief. "B-b-but…that's not the same, Grandpa!"

"My dear, you've been so upset since we found out the news about Yugi that you haven't been thinking straight. You've been so mad at the Pharaoh that you haven't realized how badly he's been hurt." He put up a hand to still my protest. "I know you're hurt, but he's lost his best friend. I had hoped you'd have been able to encourage them more before they left…"

I burst into tears and he hugged me again, even tighter this time. "But it hurts, Grandpa."

"I know. Everybody's been hurt, Rebecca. But we have to put out hurt aside for Yugi's sake."

I sighed. I hated being wrong, but this was one of those times. "I…don't know if I can forgive him for what he's done, Grandpa."

"Well, that's another thing you and the Pharaoh have in common – I don't know if he will either. The poor man looked completely broken." Against my will, I remembered the dead, haunted look on the Pharaoh's face as I had yelled at him and felt a slight twinge of guilt. "All I can ask of you is to try, Rebecca." He kissed the top of my head and let me go. "If you want to talk, my dear, I'll be working on some research about this Dartz character."

I watched him close the door and wrapped my arms around my knees. This would be hard. But I couldn't stay angry forever; Grandpa was right. It wasn't making the situation any better. I looked down to see I was still clutching the Wings of Friendship, and sighed.

I couldn't forgive the Pharaoh yet, but I would try. And I couldn't let myself mope either. I jumped off my bed and opened the door. "Hold on, Grandpa, let me help."

After all, that's what Yugi would want me to do.

* * *

A/N: This one was just hairy - I hope that I got Rebecca to sound believable! Thanks for reading!

For future reference, I base my writing on the English dubs mostly, but if I find something about the Japanese dub absolutely vital, I'll stick it in as well. This doesn't make much of a difference in this chapter, but it will later. I can't stick to one, they're both so good!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review! As I've said before, I have a plan for which character's perspective comes next, but if there's a strong desire for a certain character I can try and put them next. So vote if you wish!

Thanks again, and please review. They make me happy! :)


	4. New Strategy

Greetings Readers!

Here is the next perspective - this time it's Duke. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

The car door slammed beside me as I got into the car and slumped forward. Some cute girls wandered past, giggling and waving at me, but I could barely muster enough energy to wink back at them. And even with a weak wink, some of them nearly fainted – the old charm never fails.

My fingers curled around the leather of the steering wheel and I rested my forehead on the top curve, sighing. I tried not to remember the last time I sat in the car like this, but the unwanted memories came flooding back: the stiffness of Joey and Tristan, the dead silence, the numbness of Yu-the Pharaoh's face…I mentally shook myself. I couldn't be like this, I had to be completely supportive of Rebecca and Professor Hawkins. But still, even though I'd volunteered to stay behind while the others went to confront Dartz and bring Yugi back – I wished I'd gone with them.

Going after Dartz was a good idea, if only we hadn't waited so long to do it.

"_That's what I suggested from the beginning, but nobody listens to me."_

_Even as I said it, I knew that it was a stupid thing to day, even if it was true, and it didn't come as a surprise when Tristan responded by grabbing me in a headlock. "Stop being so selfish!"_

I groaned. Maybe it was kind of selfish, but it was right, too. If only we'd taken the offensive and taken out Dartz before he came to take us out…we wouldn't have lost Yugi. Maybe the reminder that I'd been pushing for the right move helped prove to me that I wasn't guilty for Yugi's loss.

I probably wasn't even technically guilty, but when one of your friends gets his soul taken away and all you do, all you can do, is stand and watch, it doesn't make you feel any better about yourself. The weight of the surprisingly heavy body of the Pharoh had been nearly crushing, but it was nothing compared to the news that Yugi was gone…

I was right when I said we should have gone after Dartz from the start – but I wish I had been wrong.

Once again, I found myself wishing that I had gone along, but I ignored it. I was needed back here, to protect the professor and Rebecca from that biker gang. We'd already lost one of our own to those punks, we weren't about to lose another. Not if I had anything to say about it.

I pulled my forehead from the steering wheel and winced slightly as the skin peeled away from the warm leather. Biting back a curse from the pain, I rubbed the red skin and slipped into reminiscence. Really, I hadn't known Yugi for that long, and we didn't meet under the best circumstances, but it hurt a lot knowing he was gone. It hurt a lot more than I thought possible. This guy treated me with respect even when I insulted him and humiliated his friends. He stepped to take on a fight that wasn't his. He extended a hand of friendship to me when most people would have spit in my face. Yugi was friendly, smart, kept us all strong, and made us laugh…it killed me to realize that I was referring to him in past tense. They had to get him back, they just had to.

I couldn't imagine how much the others were hurting if this was how badly it was affecting me. The other guys held themselves like stone, with angry fire burning in their eyes, and Tea was trying to be positive, but her own grief seeped from every moment. And the Pharaoh…it was hard to tell if he could feel at all.

It was hard enough just to get a grip on the fact that there was some spirit living inside Yugi's body, let alone that we'd just lost the original soul of Yugi to Dartz and his Leviathan. I had even hoped that it wasn't as bad as it seemed: that Yugi was still here, and this babbling about losing him and being someone else was just some after effect of the concussion he could have received after landing on us. Or even a joke, some really really sick joke. But Yugi would never pull that kind of a joke in the situation we were in, and when you looked into the Pharaoh's eyes it was clear that he wasn't Yugi. There was an ancient slant to his eyes that was too old for Yugi's years, and the grief and guilt at the core of his eyes was too genuine to be imagined.

His own grief and guilt was why none of us could bear to accuse him of what happened – all except Rebecca. It was like we all knew that nothing we could accuse, no blows we could give him, could possibly be as intense as the loathing he had for himself. We couldn't bring anymore pain to that being if we'd wanted to, and nobody did. And it wouldn't bring Yugi back anyway.

Nothing would, now, except confronting Dartz.

I wanted to be there when they finally met the scumbag, so I could see the punishment he so richly deserved – but that wasn't what they needed. What they needed was for me to get back and keep the professor and Rebecca safe so that we could keep on fighting. I gunned the engine and pulled out of the train station parking lot, traveling toward the dusty road back to the motor home.

Waiting would be hard, but I could do it. And I would just have to trust that this strategy, even though we waited too long to use it, would bring our friend home. It had to.

There was no other alternative.

* * *

A/N: Once again, Duke is probably the hardest one for me to write for. Some of the others are hard just because there's a lot to cover, but with him it's hard for me to know WHAT to cover. But I hope you enjoyed regardless.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! Also, vote if you have a preference for what perspective you want to see next. Otherwise, I'll just continue with the set order I have.


	5. Sacrifice

Greetings Readers! Sorry this last update took so long, life here has been a little hectic! Anyway, here is the next perspective - it's Tristan.

Disclaimer. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. Shocking, isn't it?

* * *

All at once, everyone fell silent and began walking into the motor home, probably to try and come up with what we had to do next. I slipped around the motor home to the side without doors, and leaned against it, staring off into the distance.

_Yugi is gone. Those goons took him away._

I slowly slid down the wall until I was sitting on the ground, feeling the blood pound in my ears as I gritted my teeth. My fists clenched, and the motion sent soreness down my arms which were still red from my attempt to strangle Duke. I grimaced in shame – I didn't realize I'd put that much strength into it. He'd been stupid, but he didn't deserve that. The people that did were the guys who took Yugi away.

I reached down beside me and closed my fingers around a stone lying in the dirt. Surprisingly cool despite the heat of the sun, it remained reassuringly solid against my palm – firm and solid and real, unlike the surreal, untouchable magic that sucked our friend away. When the coolness gave way to the warmth of my hand, I flung it as far away as I could and watched the dust rising up from where it landed. The boiling anger fled from my veins, leaving me empty and confused. I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.

_Why did you do it, Yugi?_

We knew that Yugi had pushed the Pharaoh out of harm's way when the Pharaoh had lost the duel against Rafael. He had said that the Seal only needed one soul, so he would let it take him instead. None of us, even those who were actually present at the duel, had heard Yugi say those words, but the Pharaoh kept repeating them. It was freaky to see the usually confident, strong Pharaoh wander around in a state of shock – after Joey had hit him and he'd warned me not to give into my anger, we hadn't got another coherent word out of him. He'd retreated almost completely into himself, like he was trying to enter a room in his mind that was locked or empty, and hadn't said much.

"He pushed me out of the way. He saved me. He took my punishment. He's gone. Gone. Gone."

The almost dead sound of his voice played those words over and over again, getting almost painfully quiet when he said that Yugi had taken the fall. He didn't seem to be using Yugi's decision as a way to pardon his own guilt, if anything that seemed to make his self-hatred worse. I could only hope that when we got Yugi back, he'd go back to normal. If we ever got him back. But how could we when the Pharaoh was so out of it, and we didn't have him or Yugi to lead us?

It didn't come as much of a surprise to hear that Yugi had sacrificed himself. He had a long history of putting the safety of others way before his own. Like the first day we became friends – he jumped in front of me and Joey when we were getting attacked by Ushio and his flunkies, and we weren't even friends. Heck, we weren't even close to being friends since we made fun of him pretty much every time we saw him. And he was willing to get hurt just so we wouldn't.

If the Pharaoh was to be believed, he'd done the same thing during that duel with Pegasus for his grandpa's soul. They didn't talk about it much but from what I could figure, Yugi had ignored his pain and exhaustion in order to save his grandpa, knowing what it could do to him, but kept fighting until he literally passed out. My breath caught in my throat, remembering how the rest of us had almost felt it when he fell – that painful jolt throughout our entire bodies. But he never mentioned it, feeling that saving his grandpa was worth his sacrifice.

He also was ready to be drowned in that duel with Joey when he was mind-controlled. I had trouble just wrapping my mind over what was actually happening in that duel, but he was completely clear on what was going on. Even through his tears, he smiled as he aimed the attack at himself while the rest of us were in a state of panic. He was a lot stronger than I thought anyone who was about to die could be. Luckily, everything turned out all right and the memory got shoved back in my mind and I never thought about it. Until now.

Those times were hard, but not anywhere near as hard as this. I was too surprised when Yugi had stepped in for us to realize what danger he'd put himself in, I wasn't there when he nearly died saving his grandpa, and we were all too busy panicking about saving both him and Joey to really realize what had happened the last time. Those all happened too fast to really sink in.

But now, it had the time to sink in and it was completely and totally real. It hurt almost more than a physical blow – even more so than when the Pharaoh landed on top of me and Duke after Rafael threw him aside like garbage. The prospect of living life without ever seeing our friend again hurt.

Yugi was always the one to keep us going. Despite his small stature and almost shy bearing, he was the person we looked to for direction, even if we didn't realize it. His optimism, his leadership, his encouragement could inspire us in the darkest, most terrifying times. So, now that he was gone, what were we supposed to do? We needed to get him back…but how did we start?

Joey was angry at having lost his best friend. Tea was trying to keep a lid on things, but her sadness was obvious in her gaze and her face. I nearly strangled a friend just because I didn't know how else to deal with my own frustration. And the Pharaoh…he just looked numb. Even though logically we should have been blaming him for this, we couldn't. As hard as losing Yugi was to the rest of us, his loss hit the Pharaoh in a way I couldn't even begin to understand, and I didn't want to. I just wanted to get Yugi back so things would be right again. If we could.

I shook my head. There was no 'if' – we had to get Yugi back and we would get him back. The alternative was unthinkable.

We would get our friend back – we just had to figure out how.

* * *

A/N: There you are - I hope you liked it.

It'll be a while until the next one is posted, I'm hitting finals here right now. But in a week or so the next one should be posted.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! They make me happy and tell me if people are enjoying this!


	6. Late Realization

Greetings Readers! Here's the next perspective! Sorry that this update took so long! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. Why do they have to keep rubbing it in? *sob*

* * *

My heart fell as I watched the Pharaoh's face clench almost imperceptibly as he stared at the train window; no matter what I tried, I couldn't bring him out of his depression. I knew I had really failed in my attempt when he got up and politely excused himself before walking out of the train car. Biting my lip in frustration, I leaned back against my seat and sighed. "Poor guy."

Tristan leaned towards me, his eyes still solemn."I think he needs to be alone for awhile, you know?"

"He is alone." Both our heads jerked towards Joey, who sounded almost cold, "Isn't that the whole problem?" Then his face broke into a reassuringly familiar smile as he gave us a thumbs up. "But he'll be good as new soon enough! 'Cause we're gonna rescue Yugi, right guys?"

His smile was contagious and I smiled back. "There's no doubt."

We all fell into silence, and after a few moments my heart sank. I hadn't realized it, but I'd been expecting to hear Yugi's confident voice chiming in – or more likely, leading us on. He always was our biggest source of hope, and his confident voice inspired me more than I knew. The silent void that had taken over Yugi's part of the conversation fell dark, silent, and heavy over my heart and I bit my lip to keep back the tears. The thought of Yugi being gone, the thought of him being gone forever, was completely crushing.

_Crushed_. Joey's word echoed ominously in my brain, and my memory lingered painfully on the utter numbness and almost dead quality of the Pharaoh's face. Any feeling in his expression was in his eyes, which were like dying embers doused in grief and guilt. The Pharaoh didn't respond at all to anything I'd tried to say, and I mentally reviewed what exactly I'd said to him. I grimaced embarrassedly; I couldn't believe it – he'd lost his best friend, just like we all had, and I was talking to him about bathing suits! In my defense, though, I was trying to coax him out of his self-imposed shell, to get him to show some response that wasn't self-deprecating or negative. But now I wondered if it was fair to do that to him – he and Yugi had shared a body for two years, so it should have been no surprise that he looked so hollow. My heart clenched. He was probably very lonely.

I have a tendency to mother people, a part of myself I know occasionally irritates my guy friends, but I can't do anything else when I see someone hurting. That was why I tried to joke the Pharaoh out of his stupor, because I wanted to take the numbness of his expression away. That was why I hugged Rebecca back as she sobbed out her anger. But, I realized, I hadn't given myself time to comfort myself. My mind wandered to what I'd been thinking about before the Pharaoh had left.

"His carefree, fun side…I miss him too."

I almost wanted to cry as I reached for the memory of Yugi's laughter, his bright smile, his laughing eyes, and was unable to find it. It was true that Yugi was carefree and fun to be around, but…he was so much more than just the fun, carefree side of the Pharaoh. Much, much more.

He was brave and strong. He stood up for Joey and Tristan against Ushio, back during the time when they treated him like just another punching bag. They told me the jerk was laughing at how weak Yugi was when he hit him, but Yugi never broke. Ushio had no idea what real strength was. Not to mention, Yugi tried to protect me from the creepy mugger who was stalking me only two days after I met him. That was when, I grimaced, I threatened him and Joey and practically assaulted them with ketchup. Yugi is smart, he knew what the odds were when he jumped in to protect me. Now I knew that the Pharaoh had actually defeated the creep, but I could never forget how brave and selfless Yugi was…

Yugi was compassionate. He spoke up for people we wouldn't have trusted, and gave most people the benefit of the doubt. He was chivalrous. I blushed at the memory of Yugi running to my aid in the digital world. I remembered how he had run to my side and I had seen his wonderful, concerned eyes looking into mine. And he'd given me his coat…for a moment, the memory of its fabric around my shoulders was so vivid it felt real, and my hands reached up to clench its folds…only to realize it was only my imagination. I missed Yugi's warmth…

Warmth. It was probably the best way to describe Yugi. The warmth of his friendship, the warmth of his compassion, the warmth of his heart…my eyes welled with tears. Life was cold without Yugi – I'd tried to stay strong for the others, but it was almost unbearable to think about. We might never see him again. Never hear his laugh, never listen to his voice, never again be able to look at the open face of the boy I lov-

My head jolted up in surprise, and I blinked furiously as I tried to think over what I'd said. When I figured it out, it was all I could do to keep up from wailing again at the realization: I was in love with Yugi.

I'd had a crush on him and the Pharaoh for a while, but hadn't been able to figure out which of the two I actually loved more than just a crush. It had been so hard to tell them apart – but now it was far too easy. Yugi was gone, and the Pharaoh was absolutely crushed. And now I knew who it was…but I knew too late. _Oh, Yugi…and now I might not be able to tell you…_

I straightened up and mentally slapped myself. _Gardner, get yourself together – that's no way to act._ I couldn't give up on him – he never would give up on us. Besides, I had something that he needed to know.

_You better hang on, Yugi_, I smiled in spite of the situation, _because we're coming to save you. And then I have something I need to tell you…_

_

* * *

_

A/N: So, there's Tea's perspective. I hope you enjoyed it!

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! (They make me happy!)


	7. Disgrace to the Game

Greetings Readers! I apologize for the lateness of this update, but finals and writer's block hit simultaneously and made good writing difficult, but hopefully this is worth waiting for. Anyway, this was originally going to be Joey's POV, but then a reviewer asked if I was going to do a POV for Kaiba. I hadn't intended to, but couldn't pass up the challenge - so here it is! Joey's will be next! I hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. Such is life.

* * *

I have got to start keeping Mokuba away from the geek squad. I think they're starting to affect his mind.

Of course I knew that Pegasus was the one who was trying to take over the company, it was only logical. He'd been the one that had incited the Big Five to move against me. He'd been the one who'd had Mokuba kidnapped, so it should have been as obvious to Mokuba as it was to me that Pegasus had to be the one behind this. It was the only possibility that made any sense at all. But no, my brother was blathering on about Pegasus couldn't be behind this because Yugi and his friends said his soul had been captured…

Yeah, I needed to get this kid some new friends.

I really didn't need to hear any more about the geek brigade, not with an actual physical company at risk of being stolen out from under me. That made Wheeler's call, which would never have been desirable even under the best of circumstances, all the more irritating. But I couldn't just ignore the call with Mokuba standing by, so I grudgingly told my secretary to put him through. I internally smirked at the sounds of surprise on his end of the line even as I scowled at the enormous eye that filled my telephone screen.

"What do you want, Wheeler?"

I only halfway listened to Wheeler's babbling until he mentioned that he had some information about those motorcycling punks. Beginning to think that this call wasn't a complete waste of time, I was getting ready to write down the important information and hang up when Wheeler lost it and blurted out the truth: Yugi had lost.

I think I stopped breathing for a moment as my mind reeled at that news. Yugi lost. To someone else besides me. And then all the air rushed back into my lungs and blood rushed into my normally pale face as I bellowed, "Yugi LOST?"

Losing to Yugi meant losing my Duel Monsters championship – and that was the first time I'd lost since I'd overtaken my stepfather's company and made a name for myself. And it had started this bizarre trend of losing – I'd lost my company for a time, I'd lost my freedom, I'd lost Mokuba – but I'd managed to get all of those things back. All except my Duel Monsters crown that I'd lost to Yugi. And now he'd lost it, to some nobody.

I wanted Yugi to lose that title, but this brought me nothing but fury. I only wanted him to lose it to me – the rightful owner of that crown. And now, in his arrogance, in his weakness, he'd lost me that chance.

The coward even sounded weak as he tried to argue against my rightful irritation. With pure acid in my voice, I hissed, "I don't want to hear another word. You're a disgrace to the game, Yugi!"

Breathing heavily, I slammed the phone down into its cradle and laced my fingers together. Leaning my chin against the bridge of fingers, I glared into the computer screen until I could feel the roar of _he lost my chance of beating him for my title back_ fade into an irritated whisper. _I can't let this defeat me. How can I turn this to my advantage?_

"Big brother, are you all right?"

I managed to grin smugly at him, although I felt more like grimacing. "I'm fine. Now I have an even better reason to go after those thugs."

Mokuba continued to stare at the blank videophone screen. "Big brother, something's really wrong – Yugi looked upset."

I snorted, "Of course he looked upset, Mokuba. He just lost the Duel Monsters title to some motorcycle-riding punk."

His gaze never left the screen. "No, something really, really wrong – he looks like he lost more than a duel. He looked like he's lost his soul…"

"You've listened to the geek squad too much," I huffed impatiently, "you can't lose your soul, Mokuba. Yugi just finally lost a duel and he can't handle it."

Mokuba gave me a searching look that suddenly made me feel ashamed of myself, though I wouldn't show it even to him. "But, that's not like Yugi."

I gritted my teeth. "What, losing?"

"No," his eyes unwaveringly met mine, "letting something like losing a game bother him this much. There's more to this than either of us knows, big brother." He walked to the door and, before he walked through it, he turned back to me, "There are worse things in this world than losing."

And then he was gone, leaving me to muse over his unusually intense words. Unwillingly, I remembered the dazed, hollow look on Yugi's face – it was, I admitted, an unusual expression for a guy usually full of energy and annoying friendliness. What had happened in that duel?

I shook the sentimentality from my thoughts – Yugi's friends must have been getting to me, too. But…I still couldn't keep from wondering…

If it wasn't the game, what else could he have lost?

* * *

A/N: The hardest part about writing for Kaiba is to show the emotional coldness of his character, but not make him completely unpalatable - he has layers. Hopefully that worked here. I hope you liked it.

Anyway...the order is as follows for the remaining one-shots: Joey, Yami, Yugi - and then possibly a wrapping up one-shot. What are your thoughts on a wrap-up at the end? Good idea, or better left alone?

Thanks for reading, and please review. They make me happy!


	8. Leadership

Greetings Readers!

First of all, I am very sorry it took this long for this update to get posted - it's a combination of exhaustion and laziness. I'll try to get the other oneshots posted more quickly, but the next one is probably going to be the hardest, most in-depth of all because of Yami's. Just warning you. Here's Joey's POV, and I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of its characters. But that's life.

* * *

"Okay, we got a plan. Let's get going so we can catch the next train!"

At my words, everybody split up to go and pack for the trip, their step maybe a little lighter than it had been before. Me, I was so surprised that everyone immediately did what I told them that I stood for a few minutes in shock before I walked outside into the hot Californian sun. I could feel the enthusiastic smile sliding from my face, showing the frustration I was actually feeling, as I sat down at the table outside the motor home and clenched my fists on top of the table.

I gritted my teeth so hard I felt them give slightly and slammed my clenched fist against the table. _I could kill Kaiba_!

Arrogant, selfish jerk – we lose Yugi, and all he freakin' cared about was that Yugi – really the Pharaoh but the shortsighted idiot didn't believe in any of that – lost some card game. So what? We'd lost Yugi! I'd lost my best friend!

I should've known. Kaiba's been nothing but an ass since we met him, and he hadn't changed at all. How Yugi even kept trying to be friends with this guy? Why would he keep defending him?

Suddenly, the thought of Yugi made the anger drain away, leaving me sad and heavy and tired. Yugi stood up for Kaiba because he was a much stronger, nicer person than I could be. And now he was gone. It just wasn't fair that a great guy like Yugi could suffer like that, but a jerk like Kaiba could still be here and completely fine. But being mad didn't get me anywhere, and it would be better to focus on getting Yugi back. Besides, Yugi would have forgiven Kaiba already…

Blowing a steam of air out my mouth, I sagged against the back of my chair and rubbed my forehead with my hand. Everyone had been looking to me ever since we got back after…I'd had to tell the girls that Yugi was gone. I'd been the one to call Kaiba. I'd been the one to get them inspired and moving for the trip to Florida so we could learn about the goons who had Yugi. But what were we going to do once we got there? I had no clue, but everyone was looking to me to be the leader now that the Pharaoh was out of it and Yugi was gone.

It was funny that I'd never identified Yugi as the leader of our friends, but now it was glaringly obvious. I mean, ever since we'd met him it was like we'd always been on some crazy adventure, and we'd always followed his lead. He'd never been an obvious leader, but he always seemed to understand more of what was going on and so we felt it only natural to follow him. We'd followed the Pharaoh because he was tough and wise, and took no prisoners. But we followed Yugi because he was tough in a different way, wise and compassionate. He'd always been optimistic and enthusiastic and could keep going even in the hardest times. But now, in our hardest time yet, he was gone. The Pharaoh was no help, he'd been in constant shock since he'd lost and couldn't lead anyone. That had terrified me, we needed him to help us get Yugi back, and he couldn't be in shock. Not now.

I rubbed the back of my neck ruefully. I'd shaken him and actually punched him, trying to get some reaction other than shock and grief on his face. It hadn't worked. I stretched out my sore fingers and groaned. It had been stupid, and sort of like kicking a dog, but I was so freaked out and irritated and frustrated that I had to do something. But it hadn't helped…and it wasn't something Yugi would have done. He would have taken the Pharaoh and given him an encouraging pep talk, being sympathetic to the other's grief. But then, if Yugi had been here he wouldn't have been grieving in the first place.

I missed having Yugi to lead us, but more than that I missed having my best friend with us. He was the bond that kept us all together. I wouldn't have met Ryou if Yugi hadn't introduced us or hung out with Téa if Yugi hadn't become my friend. Heck, Tristan and I still probably would probably have still been bullying the younger kids if Yugi hadn't stood up for us against the biggest thug in our school. I don't know what I'd done to deserve that kind of friendship, especially after I'd been such a jerk to him, but I wasn't complaining. And then he'd supported me when I'd competed in Duelist Kingdom to save my sister's eyesight – and then gave up his money so that I could get her the operation.

And I couldn't even keep him from getting captured. I had to watch him get taken away from only twenty feet and couldn't get to him because of the stupid trench around the spot where they dueled. I couldn't tackle the guy who'd dueled him, I couldn't pull him away, I couldn't do anything. I pounded both fists against the table and swore at the pain jolting to my elbows. Why didn't I do anything?

I heard footsteps walk from around the motor home and looked over to see who was walking by. The unique spiky hairstyle and short stature made my heart stop and I almost yelled Yugi's name in recognition, but then the person turned and I saw the Pharaoh's narrow eyes and defeated-looking face. I grimaced at the stupidity of what I'd done and then sighed. Of course that wasn't Yugi…but I still had hoped…

It was a broken whisper, but I heard it clearly. "Aibou." I looked over at the Pharaoh, and my heart fell to see the brokenness of his face, tears glinting hopelessly in his eyes. The way he stood made it look as though it was a struggle to stay upright. Losing Yugi had hit him worse than anyone, even me.

That's how I couldn't be mad at him, not really. He'd told us it was his fault, but there was nothing we could do to him that would make him feel worse – and there was no point, anyway. When I'd shaken him and punched him, it was kind of because I was mad, but mostly because I was so frustrated that he wasn't able to come up with a plan to save our friend. We'd all tried to snap him out of it, but something told me that nothing we'd try would work. He wouldn't be back to normal until we got Yugi back.

But then, we all needed him back.

So, we would get him back. There was no alternative.

We were gonna save my buddy – or die trying.

* * *

A/N: And there's Joey's POV. I hope you liked it. Anyway, just two more oneshots, Yami's and Yugi's. I'm trying to decide if I should write a wrap-up ending. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading, and please review! They make me happy.


	9. Missing Piece

Greetings Readers! Here, at long last, is Yami's POV. This chapter is quite a bit different than the others in that it covers several different instances throughout Yami's loss and journey to get Yugi's soul back. Hopefully, it will be clear what I'm referring to in each section. I also hope that this isn't terrible - writing this terrified me! :) I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of its characters. Such is life.

* * *

_This can't be happening. It has to be a dream. Please, Ra, please let me wake up…_

Even as I thought that fervent prayer as I overlooked the canyon where I had just lost everything, I knew that it was no good. This could not be a nightmare – on the few occasions when I had been troubled by memories from my past life that were shrouded in fog, I could always feel Yugi's light and warmth even in the darkest moments. But there was no light or warmth, no matter how I reached for it.

The others were talking to me, trying to understand, but they were nothing more than a dull buzz in my ears. The tears welled in my eyes as I tried to feel something, anything of Yugi's presence. But there was nothing – I felt dull, heavy, and empty. _Please don't make me repeat it, saying it rips me into pieces - Yugi is gone._

"It's all my fault!" I fell to my knees on the rough stone that must have been burning hot but I didn't feel it. "Yugi, come back!"

Why did I call for Yugi? He would never have left and then delayed coming back just for a joke; he would have been back immediately. Yugi would never hurt someone by being cruel or by letting such base emotions as anger or a desire for vengeance take over him. Like it had taken over me when I played that cursed card. Why should he suffer for my actions?

My fists clenched and I pounded them into the stone with such force that it sent painful vibrations up my arms into my shoulder blades. I ignored it, and scraping of my skin – the pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. "It should've been me, not him! It's not fair!"

I had never cried in sheer grief and pain before, but now the tears poured from my eyes and I made no effort to keep them back. I could sense the others walking over to me, internally debating whether it would be better to leave me alone with my grief or try to comfort me. If I'd had the energy to wave them away, I would have. They needed to have their own time to grieve, and I didn't deserve comfort anyway. I had caused their friend to be taken away. And I had ignored my aibou's advice and didn't stop him from sacrificing himself for me.

_All my fault all my fault all my fault…_

All I could do was yell in shock as I watched him be taken away by that demonic green light. Why didn't I do something? Why didn't I push him out of the way? I stood up, ignoring the numbness of my probably bruised knees and stared out blankly over the cliff. I had sworn to protect him ever since he had freed me by solving the puzzle, but I had done worse to him than any of the bullies I used to defend him from. I had let him get captured, and I might never see him again.

The thought made my blood run cold, and I had to fight back the tears that threatened to overwhelm me again. Our friends were murmuring behind me, trying to figure out what had happened – someone even thought that 'maybe Yugi was still here and just got knocked out by the Orichalcos.'

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep the petulant yell boiling within me from escaping. Didn't they understand? Yugi was gone. No matter what they said, he was gone because of me.

The idea of moving seemed laughable, if there had been any laughter inside of me, and I probably could have stood there for an eternity if Joey hadn't spoken up. "We…probably need to be heading back." I was able to register that his voice sounded a lot weaker than I'd ever heard coming from him, but as I turned to walk back to my horse and the car, my mind went back to fall on Yugi. I could almost feel his pull on my arm when he tried to stop me from playing the card, almost hear his cry of shock and pain as the Seal blocked him from the duel, and the impression of his hands as he shoved me out of harm's way seemed permanently pressed on my back.

I let out a slow breath that rattled as it left me and looked over at the others, whose faces were all set in varying degrees of shock and confusion. My heart fell. This was my doing. All of it. If Yugi was here, he would've been able to break them out of this – he was able to inspire and encourage anyone. But then, if Yugi was here they wouldn't be like this in the first place.

The others got into the car and I walked over to the horse. It sensed my unrest and became anxious, and I brushed my fingers across its neck to soothe it. The horse seemed to settle, but I couldn't. All of my body seemed fragile and the sheer contact against the horse's coat seemed enough to break me into pieces. As I forced myself onto the saddle, I remembered how Yugi would always refer to me as the strong one of the two of us. A noise that wasn't quite laughter came out as I thought of the irony of that. _Yugi, I knew you were the stronger of us, but until now I didn't realize how much stronger you are._

Everything about me felt heavy and fragile…and empty.

We had to save Yugi. But how could we, when we felt so lost without him?

···

Téa was trying to get me out of my depression, and on one level I appreciated it. But on the other levels, it was impossible for me to think of such trivial things. It was impossible to sit near others I hurt so much, especially when their presence made me think so much on Yugi's absence. Not that I needed help with that – I felt his absence with each breath, each heartbeat.

"Sorry, Téa." I mumbled and pushed past her to walk down the aisle to the back of the train car. The door slid closed behind me and I leaned against the wall, staring out into the countryside. I looked down and saw the blasted duel disk on my arm, the duel disk that played the card that took Yugi away. The card I played…

I punched the wall in a burst of anger and then slid down the side of the car as the fury bled out from me. Lifting my fist up to my face, I could see bruises rising on the knuckles and rotated the hand with detached interest. Why couldn't I feel the pain? My knuckles should have been throbbing, my entire body should have been aching from being tossed around by Rafael and given the sensitivity of my face, the part where Joey had punched me should have been tender. But I couldn't feel anything, I was just numb.

I closed my eyes and everything that had happened flashed past my eyelids. Yugi pleading for me not to use the card. My rage overwhelming me. Shaking Yugi off. His yell as the Orichalcos trapped him. Being pushed out of the way, Yugi being sucked away…

It wasn't until I saw the wetness dripping onto my duel disk that I realized I was crying. _I've lost him forever._

I reached up to wipe the tear tracks from my face and was surprised at how hard it was to lift my hand to my face. My entire body felt heavy but hollow, and unfeeling. It was hard to hold it up without Yugi. I looked at the bruising fingers and felt another jolt of guilt. These weren't my hands I was damaging, they were Yugi's. This body wasn't mine – I had stolen it from Yugi, from the one who had given me freedom. And not only had I stolen that from him, I'd stolen Yugi from everyone else.

We all felt his absence. He was the person who held us all together, and me especially. Yugi had kept me together ever since he put together the Puzzle and released me after three thousand years of imprisonment. I had always valued his friendship, but I had not realized just how much it meant to me.

But what if it was too late? What if we never saw him again to tell him?

···

By some miracle, being flung from the top of a train car that was careening wildly on a cliff and landing in a clump of bushes at the foot of the cliff hadn't severely injured either me or Téa. When Téa's voice had tapered off, I had looked worriedly over at her to see if she had succumbed to some injury but she was simply unconscious from the exhaustion and stress of the past two days. I, on the other hand, stayed fully awake with the memories of what had just happened haunting me.

_But I deserve it,_ I thought as the wind whistled through the bushes and scraped against my raw skin. It was oddly cold, but not nearly as cold as my soul which had completely devoid of light and warmth when Yugi's spirit had been taken.

With no distraction but the howling wind, my mind focused on the duel with Weevil, a typical duel with the boy until he had taunted me with the card that was supposedly holding Yugi's soul. That had stoked my anger, but it erupted into a blaze when Weevil had torn the card in two and let the pieces flutter to the floor. I completely lost it when then happened, thinking that Yugi was gone forever. When the conniving weasel revealed that it was a useless bug card, my despair left me but my rage did not. Instead, it boiled and festered within me, clouding my thoughts and fuelling my actions. I didn't even realize that I was falling victim to the same rage that had taken Yugi away until Téa grabbed my arm. She was holding it in the same way Yugi had before I'd played the card – to try and stop me from making a terrible mistake. But both times it was too late. When I shook the red fury from my gaze, I saw Weevil's soulless husk slumped over where he had been standing. Another soul was gone, the soul of someone who was our only link to finding Yugi, and I'd forgotten that in my rage.

I sighed. When I came into this world, I came as a protector to the boy who had brought me into it and his friends, but how much good had I done? I'd hurt so many. My fury helped Weevil get taken away by the Seal of Orichalcos. My actions caused the tough Rebecca to break down in tears, and I could still feel the feeble staccato of her fists on my chest. Téa had been absolutely devastated, and Joey had been so angry and grieving about losing Yugi that he'd hit me. And I hurt Yugi…especially Yugi.

Although it took some effort, I managed to sit up and cradled my face in my hands. I should never have revealed myself to Yugi; I should have limited myself to just coming out to protect him. Maybe it would have been better if Yugi had never solved the Puzzle. I laughed self-reproachfully and gripped my hair between my fingers. I was too selfish to truly wish that none of this had ever happened, just the thought of never experiencing Yugi's light or ever learning what I had from him was terrifying.

Even three years later, I could remember the moment that I was freed with perfect clarity. Millennia of darkness obliterated in a single moment of light and warmth; I could breathe for the first time in three thousand years, could feel the sun's warmth on my ace. All thanks to a young boy whose own soul's warmth was even stronger than that of the sun. I had learned so much from him. He taught me compassion, forgiveness, and friendship. He taught me, once a Pharaoh over all Egypt, how to be a true leader. And he taught me that winning isn't everything – a lesson learned from our duel with Kaiba and one I wished I'd remembered during my duel with Rafael. I would have lost either way, but if I hadn't played the Seal in my desire to win, I wouldn't have lost Yugi.

Yugi had put together my Puzzle, but it seemed that he was also part of it. He put me together, but was also a part of me. Millennia separated our births, but he was still a part of me. His absence was like a huge gaping hole in my heart, like a piece of it was missing entirely.

My heart clenched in pain and exhaustion and I could feel myself falling backward as blackness claimed me. A single thought filled my mind before I succumbed to the strain. _I need to get him back, even if that means I never can feel that warmth again. No matter what happens, I am getting him back._

···

How I managed to remain cool and collected through our hike to the valley with Ironheart, I don't know. The man had given me the first real hope since Yugi had been taken away, and the valley could let me see Yugi again. Of course, once we reached the top of the cliff overlooking the valley, all my intentions of remaining collected vanished as I called out Yugi's name and sprinted down the slope.

At the bottom of the valley, the place seemed much bigger than it had appeared earlier. Grinning, leering specters rose up from the ground, mocking me, but I simply walked through them – even when the specters bore familiar faces. They couldn't scare me, I had seen far worse.

The valley seemed disappointed that its specters hadn't shaken me and sent howling torrents of wind into my path. Sand and hair whipped furiously into my face, but I barely flinched. It was worth it if I could see Yugi again.

At the thought, the valley seemed to abandon the idea of frightening me away, and my soul seemed suddenly engulfed in light. Yugi's final words raced across my mind and I stopped dead in my tracks, praying that the presence I was sensing wasn't a trick of my imagination.

As if an answer to my prayer, several balls of light began to form in front of me, dazzling in their brightness before they formed…an ethereal form of Yugi standing in front of me. My heart almost stopped beating at the sight. He was here, he looked fine if weary, and I almost whispered, "I've found you!"

My heart nearly bursting, I reached for him – only to fall completely through Yugi's form. The disappointment of not being able to even touch my Aibou after so long was nearly crushing, but he was here. But…he wasn't, not exactly.

His voice was cold and almost dead when he acted surprised that I would come to see him, and when he regretted that any of this had ever happened. My heart sank at his tone – why was he acting like this? Of course I came to see him – he was my Aibou!

I tried to apologize, but the words seemed hollow and Yugi didn't seem to believe any of it. He simply glared at me. "What good is that now? I'm the one that's locked away forever, not you!"

My heart felt even heavier. I knew I did not deserve forgiveness, but I must have expected it because his rejection hurt more than I thought possible. Yugi was so cold, so unlike the vibrant, enthusiastic young man I'd come to rely on, and I feared what the Seal had done to him. What had he suffered? It must have been horrendous to suck away all of his light. And how could he think it was pity that made me seek him out. _Friendship, Aibou, friendship, that's why – like you taught me! Oh Ra, what happened to you?_

Selfish as it was, I thought Yugi would be glad to see me. Instead he railed at me for getting him into this mess and then challenged me to a duel, with bitterness and malice in his voice. I did not want to duel him but when he said that it would show I was truly sorry, I had to. I would do anything to show him that.

But that resolve wasn't enough to keep my heart from breaking as I looked into his cold, angry eyes and watched his face curl into a cruel smile. His words made it break even more – that was the darkness in my heart? A darkness so strong it could corrupt him?

Rafael called me an evil pharaoh and I exploded in anger. I wondered if I was evil when I got Yugi taken away, and it crushed me. But hearing Yugi say it was enough to destroy me. _Power could never be more important to me than you, Yugi! _I couldn't stop now, though, evil or not I had to bring Yugi back. Perhaps I could talk some reason into him…

But then he smirked at me as he slipped an eerily familiar card into his disk and all hope of reasoning with him was lost. Reason meant nothing to those in the grip of the Seal, and the hellish green marks had seared themselves onto Yugi's forehead. Not even when he had been captured had he been scarred by the green mark. What had happened to him?

I saw the rest of Yugi's plays as though in slow motion, filled with horror not only at his actions but at how they mirrored my own in the duel when I lost him. As much as I deserved this punishment, I couldn't lose – Yugi and the entire world was at stake. But I couldn't attack him either, and so the plays continued in perfect imitation of my mistake until Yugi walked into my trap.

But I couldn't do that to Yugi!

But I had to.

I couldn't!

I needed to.

I can't!

I must.

Yelling with exasperation at the war inside my mind, I made my move. "Activate Trap Card, Divine Wind!" And instantly regretted my decision as I watched the powerful beam of light go back towards Yugi. _Yugi, no! How could I hurt you again?_

The force of the spell was so strong that it knocked him over, his body suspended in light for a few moments before collapsing to the ground. My heart felt ripped from my body and I stumbled backward before sprinting to Yugi's side. _What have I done?_

Not even remembering that I was unable to touch him before, I knelt beside Yugi and supported his head against my body in a sitting position. I expected more hatred, more disgust – and saw the most wonderful, forgiving smile on my hikari's face. My heart suddenly returned to my chest and seemed much lighter than it had been for a long time.

His voice was weak but strong at the same time. "You passed the test, pal."

"What do you mean? Did you plan this all along?" His smile grew bigger, and the mask of cold cruelty he'd shoved onto his face fell away. Warmth filled me, although I didn't notice it for the tears pooling in my eyes.

He nodded. "It wasn't easy, but you did what was best for me and for mankind. You acted like a true hero." He patted my arm encouragingly, but I could only feel it as my eyes were completely obstructed with tears – happy and grieving all at once. I was glad to hear that I had done what was right, but why did I have to hurt Yugi again to find out…

"Now what?" I felt so free, but also so lost. Free of the overwhelming grief, but lost because once again Yugi was leaving.

"Don't give up this fight. Remember, I'm always…with…you."

And then my hikari exploded in a ball of light, and he was gone.

I stared at where he had just been supported in my arms, and clenched my fists in resolution. Yugi was gone, but it wasn't the same as before. This time, while the spot above my heart was still missing and empty, a warmth coursed through the area, a warmth that was like Yugi's presence. It wasn't nearly as powerful or as strong, but it was there, and I could already feel it fuelling me. Yugi had left, but he had left me with the newfound strength and encouragement to carry on. He had once again sacrificed himself for me, and I would not let it be in vain.

With genuine determination, I stood up from where I had been kneeling and turned to the valley, tears of grief and warmth intermingled on my face. I shouted. "I'll save you, Yugi! No matter what it takes!"

With Yugi's faith in me, there was no way I could fail. No way I could let myself fail. And maybe, someday, I could earn his forgiveness. Possibly even my own.

* * *

A/N: So there it is, I hope you liked it. Phew, that took a long time to write and it was a rather depressing slog. Everyone else has some slight self-applied guilt in their POVs (well, except Kaiba), but Yami's is ALL self-applied guilt. His spirit improves a lot when he meets Yugi, but he still isn't quite ready to forgive himself (or accept that Yugi has forgiven him). But that comes later! :)

One big goal I had for this was that it not sound too similar to another Orichalcos story I wrote surrounding Yami. Hopefully that worked as well.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! They make me happy!


	10. Waiting in the Wings

Greetings Readers! This update came a lot earlier than I expected, but I got a burst of writing ability and thought I'd use it - hopefully, that's good with you. Here's Yugi's POV, which leads right up to where he helps Yami in the Valley. I hope you enjoy this!

I'd like to extend thanks to those who favorited, alerted, and commented on my stories - you keep me writing. And a very special thanks to **PurpleWildcat2010**, for encouraging me, discussing the future of this story with me, and catching all the grammar mistakes that slip by me. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. (If I did, Yami and Yugi would get a better reunion than the one in the anime. Just saying.)

* * *

Being captured by the Seal of Orichalcos was strangely anticlimactic.

I had managed to break free of my prison, run to Yami's side and push him out of the way before the Seal took me, but I wasn't sure what was going to happen. To be honest, I had no idea where it was taking me nor did I care – what was important was saving my friend. I certainly hadn't thought of the Realm of the Seal as being so…calm. After the rush and heart-pounding fear of Yami's duel with Rafael, to end up in a place of such stillness was a little unnerving. But I wasn't about to complain – I hadn't been used to fuel the Leviathan yet so there was time for the others to find me.

Looking around tentatively, I saw thousands and thousands of clear orbs floating around me, the occupants still and composed in their individual prisons. If the clothing on some of them was any clue, they had been trapped here a long time, and the orbs had an almost dusty look. I reached out my hand until it met with an invisible barrier, and I looked down to realize I was also in an orb. Surprisingly I didn't panic, simply sat down and folded my arms pensively. As of the moment there was no fear, only an eerie calm that bordered on apprehension, and the air of the place was as ancient as the tombs.

My heart stopped beating its frenzied staccato not long after I arrived, although I had no idea how much time had passed back with my friends. Time was insignificant here, at least until it came time to revive the Leviathan, which would never come. Likewise, there was neither heat nor cold, and my stomach didn't need food, nor my body need sleep. It was a good place for thinking, at any rate there wasn't much else to do.

_I'd never seen Yami like that before._ I'd seen him angry before, several times – but never so angry that he wouldn't listen to reason or endanger his friends. But some terrible rage had filled him, which had only intensified when he'd played the Seal kept me from getting though to Yami to help him. The Puzzle had once again come through for me when it began to glow as Yami lost the duel, and I was able to break the Seal and get down to him just as the green column began to close around him. The look of utter defeat in his then contrite eyes made my blood run cold and somehow gave me a final burst of speed to push him out of the way.

If Yami hadn't given into his anger and used the Seal, I wouldn't be in the realm of the Seal. I could not deny being disappointed and frustrated at him for playing the card, but I couldn't blame him for my predicament. I folded my arms and legs into a more relaxed pose as I settled on the floor. My decision to sacrifice myself to save him was completely my own, and I would do it again.

On a technical level, as a strategist, he was the more logical person to stay behind. Our friends looked to him for leadership, and he needed to be there to provide it; I wasn't nearly so important as far as leading the others went. That's not to say that they wouldn't miss me, worry about me, or try to save me, because I knew they would. I also knew that I was also helpful in our group. It's just that I wasn't so egotistical to think that they would be falling apart without me.

And as a friend, that was the only option. If I had any way of saving him, I would take it and I did. Besides, his spirit had already been trapped for five thousand years and the idea of subjecting to any more imprisonment gave me a bad taste in my mouth.

But was I imprisoned, or was I actually dead? Since all of the victims of the Seal had been soulless, none of them were able to tell us what would happen if the Seal took one of us. Stretching my neck, I looked around and shook my head. No, I wasn't dead. The end brought about by the rising of the Leviathan would be a lot more violent than this, if Dartz's greedy, almost gluttonous search for souls was any indication. Besides, some of these people had been here eons, which might explain their quietness that was close to hopelessness. My heart sank at the lack of feeling in those faces, nearly obscured by the dustiness of their more opaque orbs – how long had it taken for them to lose that feeling? I was also calm, but at least I had hope – I was calm because I knew that my friends would save us. My only regret was that I could not help them do so.

It might have been a few seconds or hours or days after I'd appeared in the Seal's realm, but a bolt of sorrow rushed through my body and made me sit up, panting for breath. The emotion certainly was not mine, but it took a few moments for my lethargic brain to deduce the source. I closed my eyes and sighed. _Yami, stop blaming yourself. It was my decision – it's not your fault._ I sent the thoughts repeatedly through the mind link, but it was clear that he couldn't hear them as the grief continued unabated. But that didn't stop me from trying, and slowly the sorrow eased up to only a constant echo in my spirit. I hoped that didn't mean that Yami was filled with this sorrow all the time.

I had adjusted to the echo of sorrow when a shock of fire-hot rage burned through me, and my eyes widened in concern. Yami couldn't let his rage get control of him again, what if his soul was the one captured this time? Fortunately, the burning rage was short-lived, although it gave way to dull guilt as the soul of Weevil Underwood came into our midst, creating a briefly loud cacophony which caused several of the other souls to look at him disapprovingly before returning to their individual solitudes.

Yami was in trouble, and I wasn't sure why. The cause didn't matter much at the time; I just needed to help him. But how could I, when I was in this completely different realm where not even my thoughts could escape to reach him?

After a time, I leaned back against the wall of my orb, closing my eyes more for a change of pace than out of a desire for rest or sleep, which I didn't need anyway. As my eyes closed, realization struck me and I suddenly knew everything. Yami wasn't coping with his own grief and guilt, and it seemed I was the only one who'd be able to break him out of it. I knew exactly what to do and how to do it – but that didn't mean I liked my job. It was going to hurt Yami, the last thing I wanted, but for his own good and for everyone else, I had to do it.

Light gathered around me and began pulling my orb to the edges of the realm. I steeled myself for the task ahead and managed a smile at the genuinely surprised looks of the other souls. I would need that moment of amusement to keep me going in the task ahead.

It was going to be hard – but to help Yami I would do anything.

* * *

A/N: And there's Yugi. I think of Yugi as very strong in his own right, so there was not a lot of angst here. One line that I like is when he says, "I'm not so egotistical as to think they'd fall apart without me." Oh, humble Yugi, how little you know about that.

Anyway, one more chapter to go - this being a chapter where Yugi and Yami talk about what happened, and Yugi comforts him.

Thanks for reading, and please review! They make me happy!


	11. Back Together

Greetings Readers! Here we are at the final chapter of Loss and Blame. I hope that you enjoy it, and thanks for reading thus far.

This chapter will be a little different, as it is written in third-person. It takes place right as Yugi returns for good.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

* * *

It seemed incomprehensible that the same rift in reality that let Dartz and the Leviathan escape would be the same one used to bring Yugi back. But as the Knights of Atlantis called out for the Duelists of the Prophecy and the three balls of light came soaring out from the rip, the Pharaoh didn't care. He barely even noticed the two balls of light that shot past him as the third came to where he was standing. Even before he closed his fingers over it, when the familiar and sorely missed warmth and light seeped into his skin, he knew that it was his hikari. At last, he had found Yugi.

He looked almost tentatively up at the Knights, regal as usual but unable to form words that could even come close to expressing how grateful he was to them. Perhaps sensing this, the three simply nodded to him in understanding and respect before disappearing. Although the prospect of letting go of Yugi's soul was almost frightening, Yami released his grip and closed his eyes, and the ball of light vanished into his chest. For one heart stopping moment, nothing happened – but then everything happened all at once.

The increasing darkness of his mind was driven away by a powerful light. Warmth poured into a spirit that had grown cold, lonely, and desolate. All of the hollow spaces within him were now filled – and he felt complete. Nearly crying from feeling his friend's presence in their body again, he closed his eyes tighter and vanished to his soul room. Yugi had finally returned, and it was only right that he have control of his body. At last, he felt complete.

When the others came back to consciousness, Tristan was the first to see Yugi, but Téa was the first to realize that it was Yugi. Even though it was nearly impossible to tell them apart from the back, something about the way he held himself, about his stance, about something that was beyond sight made it unmistakably clear that it was Yugi rather than the Pharaoh. But she held her breath in a poignant mix of fear and expectation as he turned slowly towards them…and the sight of those wonderful purple eyes and almost-smile made her heart thunder and her eyes well with tears.

When Téa ran over to him, she had meant to tell him that she loved him, but that idea fell to the side when she hugged him and burst into tears. She would tell him, later, but now the words didn't matter. Yugi was back.

When Joey came to, he knew without being told that his buddy had been brought back too. As he sprinted towards that spiky head, he meant to tell his humble friend just how much they'd missed him and that he was an incredible leader. But when he crushed the smaller teen in a bear hug, he realized that he had his buddy Yug back and the important words were shoved to the back of his mind. At the moment, they didn't matter – his pal was back.

Tristan sprinted out after the other two, intent on hugging his friend and warning him never to make such a big sacrifice of himself again. That sacrifice had almost made the rest of them fall apart, and he never wanted to lose their friend again. But when he enveloped all of his friends – together again at last – in a big hug, he forgot his friendly but serious threats. It didn't matter – their friend was back.

Nothing else mattered. The guilt they'd all harbored since he'd disappeared. The overwhelming grief they'd suffered as they'd dealt with losing him and trying to find him. The blame they'd given to themselves for not preventing his loss didn't matter. In the moment of joy and comfort and friendship, there was no loss or blame. The friends were all back together – and that was all that mattered.

···

Yugi stared unblinkingly at the Millennium Puzzle perched on the desk from his cross-legged position on the bed for several minutes and then sighed, sagging backward against the headboard. He had no idea why Yami had been avoiding him, but it was starting to drive him crazy. They had talked briefly after Yugi had been returned to his body and had worked together to bring the Leviathan down, but they hadn't really talked since Yugi had come back. When they had been busy saving the world, it was understandable that they hadn't had the time or the place for a good heart-to-heart talk, but now that they were all safely home Yugi was surprised not to have heard from the spirit.

It was lonely, having the spirit present in his mind but not actively talking with him – but to be fair the spirit had been having to bear the burden of their body for a long time without help. That must have been exhausting. _I guess I'm being selfish,_ Yugi thought, smiling, _Yami deserves a chance to relax._

/Yugi!/ An almost scolding voice said, /You could never be selfish./

Yugi's eyes lit up and he leaned forward eagerly. "Yami?"

But there was no answer, and the spirit had returned to his previous solitude. Yugi rolled his eyes. _Fine. If he's not coming out, I guess I'm going in._ he lay back and closed his eyes, willing himself to the Puzzle…

At a sudden solid pressure beneath his feet, Yugi opened his eyes. He was standing in the doorway of his soul room, staring at the familiar ancient door of Yami's mind which remained resolutely shut. Were it any other situation, Yugi would have knocked, but given Yami's current mood, the chances of him actually answering the door were unlikely, so he opened the door and walked in.

The complex labyrinth of Yami's mind lay before him, bright and clear and completely devoid of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Yugi let out a huff of mingled exasperation and concern and started to search the contours of the soul room. He was just as stubborn as his other self, and he was not going to quit until he found him. He had missed Yami.

From the shadowy corner Yami watched almost nervously as his hikari walked past, trying not to get too excited about knowing that Yugi had missed him. He didn't deserve it – he didn't deserve anything from his friend that he had so callously betrayed. But that didn't stop him from following Yugi like a shadow, longing to speak with his partner but not allowing himself that comfort.

This continued for some time until Yugi stopped in his tracks at the ledge where the two had often sat to talk about foes or strategies or anything else. He stared out over the room for a long time, and then said quietly, "Yami, you can stop following me now."

Yami's mouth fell open, an unusual reaction for the regal spirit. "How did you –"

Yugi turned around and smiled a half-smile at Yami. "We share a mind, Yami, it wasn't that hard." He sat down on the edge of the ledge and patted the ground beside him. "Come on, take a seat."

Yami nearly walked over to him but quickly caught himself and shrunk back into the shadows. "Sorry, Yugi, I can't."

Yugi sighed and folded his arms. "Fine. If you don't want to talk to me, you don't have to."

Admittedly, it was a cheap shot and Yugi knew it, but it worked. Yami quickly walked over and sit by Yugi, who had to bite back a smile. But the Pharaoh was disturbingly silent and determinedly avoided Yugi's gaze, focusing on his hands on his lap. "Yami," Yugi began, getting increasingly more worried at the Pharaoh's lack of eye contact, "are you okay?"

Yami forgot his resolve to not look at Yugi and looked up, his eyes dark with some deep pain that made Yugi start with surprise. Then he quickly turned to look at the ground. "I'm fine, Aibou."

"Yami, I'm not stupid. What's wrong?" The others had told Yugi that his capture had upset all of them but had really devastated Yami. He hadn't really believed it could have been as bad as they had said, but looking at the Pharaoh made him realize: it was even worse.

"Nothing I don't deserve, Yugi."

Apparently, Yugi's attempt to break Yami out of his depression was successful only up to a point. He placed a hand on the spirit's shoulder. "Pharaoh, that's ridiculous. You have to forgive yourself – it was just a mistake."

"Mistake?" Yami said incredulously, turning to face Yugi with guilt on his face. "Yugi, a mistake is when you oversleep and almost miss school. A mistake is when Joey eats too much and you have to drag him home. There is no way that what I've done to you could be called a mistake."

"Yami," Yugi gripped his friend's shoulder and shook it. "It. Was. A. Mistake. I've forgiven you – I forgave you a long time ago – why won't you forgive yourself?"

Yami laughed weakly. "As I have told you before, Yugi, you are an exceptional person and only you are capable of forgiveness towards someone who hurt you."

"And someone who saved me."

Yami turned to his partner, who was grinning. "What?"

"Yami, I may not have seen all that you did to save me, but everyone else told me all that you had to go through to get me back. And I could feel all the pain you were going through while you were doing it." Yugi smiled, "How could I not forgive you? You saved me. And besides, you're my best friend – that's what we do."

Yami was visibly releasing some of his tension, and Yugi continued. "You've been protecting me for the last few years. You helped save Grandpa. You've helped all of us. So, you made one mistake, so what? You're a spirit, but you're not supposed to be perfect – and you made up for it. You got me back."

He reached over and put an arm over the spirit's shoulders and gave him a hug. "You had to deal with losing me. Don't make all of us have to deal with losing you."

Yami turned to face Yugi, and then hugged him. Yugi hugged him back, feeling the warmth of Yami's happy tears drip down his shoulder…although they could have also been his own.

The loss and blame didn't matter. The two friends were back together again.

* * *

A/N: Aw, I just love it when Yugi gets to comfort the usually strong Yami - maybe that's why I write those scenarios so often. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you liked it.

I'd like to extend a special thanks to **PurpleWildcat2010** for helping me out with the setting of this chapter. And for editing...which I seem to keep needing despite my best intentions. Ah well.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review. They make me happy!


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